Church Music

This (ie No150 AOV NG, “With One Voice”) is a BIG song from Amanda McKenna and might need the ten tenors to do it justice.  If so get ready for blasting in the final line.

This song is available to purchase for download at As One Voice.

This is another song with a crotchet=75 that should be a minim. (If I’m wrong please someone let me know.)

150 songs means only six to go, that I should get around to in the next couple of weeks.

Verse

From the wisdom of the ages
And a world of dreamtime stories
To the ones who kept the faith and passed it on

There are many different places
in diff’rent times and diff’rent places

Our voices join the chorus of their song.

Bridge

Rejoicing that we can make a diff’rence in our world
Reclaiming that sense of joy within

Renewing the Spirit, for the story we all share
One vision, one body as we sing.

Chorus

With one voice and one heart
We are called to share the story

With one voice and one heart
Our lives will tell the story of God’s love.

Bridge

Chorus

Our lives will tell the story of God’s love.

© Amanda McKenna 2003.

No 149 in AOV NG is this very well known song by Graham Maule and John L Bell called “Will You Come and Follow Me,” or “The Summons” as we have known it.  I’m afraid we have sung this as a dirge compared to how the wild goose people do it, so we’ll rev it up next time we do it.  Listen to their version if you can.  You can also hear it sung here.  You can also find any number of Youtube clips of it done very slowly if you are that way inclined.

Will you come and follow me if I but call your name?
Will you go where you don’t know and never be the same?
Will you let my love be shown? Will you let my name be known,
will you let my life be grown in you and you in me?

Will you leave yourself behind if I but call your name?
Will you care for cruel and kind and never be the same?
Will you risk the hostile stare should your life attract or scare?
Will you let me answer prayer in you and you in me?

Will you let the blinded see if I but call your name?
Will you set the prisoners free and never be the same?
Will you kiss the leper clean and do such as this unseen,
and admit to what I mean in you and you in me?

Will you love the “you” you hide if I but call your name?
Will you quell the fear inside and never be the same?
Will you use the faith you’ve found to reshape the world around,
through my sight and touch and sound in you and you in me?

Lord your summons echoes true when you but call my name.
Let me turn and follow you and never be the same.
In Your company I’ll go where Your love and footsteps show.
Thus I’ll move and live and grow in you and you in me.

Words: John L. Bell & Graham Maule, copyright © 1987 Wild Goose Resource Group/ WGRG, Iona Community, Glasgow G2 3DH, Scotland. Melody: ‘Kelvingrove’, Scots traditional. Websites: wgrg.co.uk & holycity-glasgow.co.uk

You can count on Amanda McKenna for proper liturgical music.  No 148 in AOV NG is her “When We Eat this Bread.”  I like the long notes in the chorus leading to a crescendo that is satisfying yet reachable by the groaners in the assembly.  The CD has an interesting rhythm that I could not duplicate on BIAB.  It would be worth chasing up the CD to hear her version.

errata:  this is another song with a crochet=80 when it should be a minim.

p466 There is no third verse to go back to, and also, according to the music the second chorus repeats the first part of the chorus before getting back to the “remembers”.  But that isn’t how Amanda McKenna sings it, so it is also possible that bracket over the 1,2 should be on the bottom line.  In any case something is wrong somewhere.

Verse 1

Peace be with you my friends.

My peace I give you my friends.

No longer strangers, but sisters and brothers,

One in the Body of Christ.

One in the Body of Christ.

Chorus 1

When we eat this bread and we drink this cup,

Giving thanks and praise, we remember,

We remember.

Verse 2

All creation sing praise!

Christ is the light of our days!

Food for the journey and rest for the weary,

Life in the Body of Christ.

Life in the Body of Christ.

Chorus 2

When we eat this bread and we drink this cup,

Giving thanks and praise,

When we eat this bread and we drink this cup,

Giving thanks and praise, we remember,

We remember, we remember.

© Amanda McKenna 2007.

Brother and sister team, Maria Millward and Damien Halloran, have their song, “We’ve Got the Power,” (No145 in AOV NG) sung by Gina Ogilvie on the AOV NG CD. They are famous for writing a song for the 2000 Olympics sung by Nikki Webster!  This song’s lyrics are best sung by powerless people like children (hear a snippet of that version here) and sound quite triumphalist and unattractive if sung out of that context, despite the laudable sentiments expressed.

My backing is even more electronic than the one on the CD.

Verse 1

Life is a journey
Will you walk with me
We can make our destiny
We can help each other see, that
We’ve got the power, the power to choose
We’ve got the power

Chorus

We’ve got the power
We’ve got the freedom to choose
We’ve got the power
You know we cannot lose
We’ve got the power
Hey, have you heard the news
We’ve got the freedom and the
power to choose
The power to choose.

Verse 2

We are a family
We all need to know
Love and laughter as we go
Time to wonder
Room to grow and
We’ve got the power, the power to choose
We’ve got the power

Chorus

Bridge

And if we want to we can make this day a better day
We have the freedom, we have the power today!
And if we want to we can show this world a better way
What do you say?

Chorus

Bridge

Chorus x2(key change)

The power to choose

© Damien Halloran and Maria Millward 2001.

James Maher’s gospel swing song, “We Will Draw Water” is No 145 in AOV NG.  Julie Jenkins sings it on the CD and a fine piece of gospel singing it is.  It can be used anywhere that you currently use Frank Anderson’s “Springs of Salvation.”  My backing is a pale imitation, largely in MIDI sounds but can be used to learn the song.

Refrain
We will draw water joyfully!
We will draw water joyfully!
We will draw water joyfully,
From the springs of salvation.

Verse 1

Jesus, your mystery calls us –
A wellspring within all that is.
Through our deep inner listening
We will drink and will live.

Refrain

Verse 2

From your heart, wounded with us,
Flows compassion and peace.
Your Spirit expands through creation,
Your justice, your healing, your grace!

Refrain

Verse 3

One with the Source of all being,
A communion of love at life’s core.
Ever abundant, outpouring, sustaining,
Flooding the depths with love’s song evermore!

Refrain

© James Maher msc 2007.

No 144 in AOV NG is by Victoria and Trevor Thompson, “We Belong to You.”    This is in an Irish style, even though he’s American.  You can hear Trevor Thompson describe and sing the song here although it’s Irish roots are less obvious with just guitar.  The full version is here.

You can purchase this song for download at spiritandsong.

He lists Elvis Costello, Aimee Mann and Michael Penn as influences, so he has my immediate attention.  This sounds nothing like them but is a good song nonetheless and there is no reason it couldn’t be a communion song.  My backing is less elaborate, but I’ve tried to keep the Irish influence.

Refrain
We belong to you, O Lord of our longing,
We belong to you.
In our daily living, dying and rising
We belong to you.

Verse 1

In the waters of your mercy,
When the old becomes the new,
Souls united in the myst’ry:
We belong to you.

Refrain

Verse 2

Filled with gifts and filled with goodness,
Spirit breathing life into
All who seek to find their purpose:
We belong to you.

Refrain

Verse 3

When we share the bread you’ve broken
With the many and the few,
We are blessed and we are broken;
We belong to you.

Refrain

Verse 4

We are called to share your word, Lord,
In all we say and all we do.
As our journey moves us onward,
We belong to you.

Refrain

© Trevor Thompson 2006.

No 143 in As One Voice: the Next Generation is Monica O’Brien and Trisha Watts’ song “We Are Travellers.”  I think this would work as a gentle entrance or recessional.  You can hear Trisha Watts, Amanda McKenna and Gina Ogilvie sing it here.  My backing is a little more countrified than their version.

Refrain

We are travellers here,

Called to embrace the world, inspired to love,

United we stand as one.

We are travellers here,

Stirred by a burning desire,

Christ offers hope, a spirited holy fire!

Verse 1

The world is in need of healing grace,

Crossing the bridges of culture and race.

With pioneer courage, make sacred this place.

We offer our lives as pilgrims of peace,

working and praying so love may increase,

a heart full of yearning that hardship may cease.

Refrain

Verse 2

Our hands are a blessing of care and concern.

We reach out to others, so others may learn

The Spirit is with us, this we believe!

No boundary, no challenge will silence our dream,

A fire of justice the world has not seen,

Christ ever shining, the life giving stream!

Refrain 

 © Trisha Watts and Monica O’Brien 2008.

This is a communion song from Chris De Silva called, “We Are One” (N0 142 AOV NG).  I think this is a pretty good song but the recording on the AOV NG CD has that whiney American church singing with no life that kills the otherwise interesting “west coast sound” arrangement.  Then to further weaken the performance a children’s chorus comes in near the end.

The sheet music has no chords at all on p446!  The sample pages at GIA fill in the details but that is a serious editing problem.  There is also an error at the top of p445 – over the word “drink”, the F does not need a flat sign in front of it.

You can find the text here at de Silva’s site, where you can download a basic MP3 to listen to as well. He also provides a guitar/vocal pdf. The full version is available at GIA.

Acappella chant – the mortal enemy of BIAB.  No 141 in AOV NG is John Angotti’s “Veni, Creator Spiritus.”  It has obvious liturgical uses but it is a brave assembly that will tackle four part, so unless John Bell is your music director, one for the choir.  Hear it done properly here.

I didn’t even attempt this on BIAB so it was back to Cakewalk and MIDI, so just for learning purposes.  I’ve put the parts in different voices and positions in the stereo spectrum but as a listening experience it leaves considerable to be desired.  As always with this sort of thing, it’s a chant – you don’t need a backing!

I don’t know if I’ve said this before, but if Jimmy Webb wrote this sort of music he would be Geoff Bullock.  I love this song.  No 140 in AOV NG is “Until We See the Cross.”  You can here it, along with lots of other Geoff Bullock songs here.

As for my backing it has none of Bullock’s inventiveness in the piano, but it is machine generated after all, and surprisingly natural.

Verse 1

Before we sing again,
before we dance again,
Let our souls be still and silent.
Let’s just stop a while,
to pause and pray awhile,
To look and hear again,
Let our songs be still till then.

Verse 2

Let our dreams be more
than building towers that fall.
All our works his cross has silenced.
And as our hearts are healed,
let our songs reveal
His grace so undeserved,
These songs can now be heard.

Chorus

Until we see the cross,
until we feel the pain
Until we see the scars
that pierced grace to our shame.
Until we see again,
let our songs be still
‘till then.

Verse 3

When we see his face,
through our broken faith:
Mercy triumphs over judgement.
Wounded hands reveal,
only love can heal
The brokeness we share,
Only wounded hearts can care.

Chorus

© Geoff Bullock 2008.